Palletless bulk bag

ABSTRACT

A bulk bag includes a body having sidewalls, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof. Each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially open position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional Patent Application claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/705,103, filed Sep. 24, 2012,entitled “Palletless Bulk Bag,” the contents of which are incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of systems andmethods of receiving, storing, transporting, and discharging bulkmaterials, and more particularly, to a bulk bag for use without apallet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bulk bags, also known as flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs),may be used to facilitate the receiving, storing, transporting, anddischarging of flowable solids and other materials. In addition,forklift trucks and pallets (or skids) have been used to aid in lifting,transporting, positioning, and stacking bulk bags and their contents.Pallets are generally flat structures used to support materials in astable fashion that are being lifted, transported, positioned, orstacked by a forklift or other similar device or while in shippingcontainers. Pallets are often bulky, not easily accessible for use, andmay add additional costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a bulk bag that may be used to facilitatethe receiving, receiving, storing, transporting, and discharging offlowable solids and other materials, including but not limited to,minerals, chemicals, foodstuffs, etc. In some circumstances, the bulkbag can be adapted for use with fluidized materials, semi-liquids andliquids.

More specifically, the present invention provides a bulk bag thatincludes a body having sidewalls, a bottom wall and a pair of opposedlift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag andcontents thereof. Each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a secondsleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewallto form a loop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the secondsleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such thatthe loop maintains a substantially open position.

In addition, the present invention provides a bulk bag that includes abody having sidewalls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposedlift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag andcontents thereof. Four handles are attached to a top of the body. Eachhandle is located proximate to a corner of the body. A spout is attachedto the sidewalls, the top wall or the bottom wall to selectively accesscontents within the body or load contents into the body. Each liftsleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached togetherand proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portionof the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end is attached to anadjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains asubstantially open position.

Moreover, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing abulk bag by forming a body having sidewalls, a top wall, a bottom walland a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting membersfor lifting the bag and contents thereof. Each lift sleeve has a firstsleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to abottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeveextending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portionof the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially openposition.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing abulk bag by forming a body having sidewalls, a top wall, a bottom walland a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting membersfor lifting the bag and contents thereof. Each lift sleeve has a firstsleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximate to abottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeveextending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portionof the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially openposition. One or more handles are attached to the sidewalls or the topwall, each handle located proximate to a corner of the body. A spout isattached to one or more of the sidewalls, the top wall or the bottomwall to selectively access contents within the body or load contentsinto the body.

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and further advantages of the invention may be betterunderstood by referring to the following description in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a bulk bag in accordance one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 2A-E show various configurations of the lift sleeves in accordancewith various embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional top view of a bulk bag in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method of manufacturing a bulk bag inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentinvention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts thatcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of theinvention. The present disclosure could generally provide bulk bags thatcould be lifted, transported, positioned, and/or stacked without the useof a pallet or skid. Although the following description generallydescribes a particular construction, it should be understood that anysuitable configuration could be used to construct the bulk bag accordingto embodiments of the present disclosure.

Bulk bags according to embodiments of the present invention couldinclude a coupling system to aid in lifting, transporting, positioning,and/or stacking the bulk bag without the use of a pallet. In oneembodiment, the present disclosure could provide five relatively flattwo-dimensional pieces (e. g., a body piece, a coupling system, a handlesystem, lid piece, and bottom surface piece) that may be assembled toform a bulk bag. Bulk bags in accordance with the present invention canbe implemented or generally used in warehouses, garages, factories,manufacturing plants, packaging plants, processing plants, storagefacilities, transportation facilities, trucks, cargo ships, shipyards,commercial real estate locations, lumber yards, mines other suitablelocations, or any combination thereof according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

Now referring to FIG. 1, a photograph of a bulk bag 100 in accordanceone embodiment of the present invention is shown. The bulk bag 100includes a body 102 having sidewalls 104, a top wall, a bottom wall anda pair of opposed lift sleeves 106 adapted to receive lifting membersfor lifting the bag and contents thereof. The body 102 is made of one ormore woven or porous materials selected from the group comprisingpolypropylene, micropored material, static controlled material,conductive material, metalized material, liner material, film material,foil material, coated material, tubular material, webbed material,baffle fabric, coated baffle fabric, nonflammable material, water-proofmaterial, corrugated material, nylon, rope, jute, hemp, sisal, leather,fibers, rope-like material, twine, cloth, canvas, polyurethane,polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), bungee cord material,polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyester, high-gloss polyester,synthetic rubber, natural rubber, plastic, polymer, natural fibers,synthetic fibers, other suitable materials, or any combination thereof.The sidewalls 104, the bottom wall and top wall can be formed from oneor more panels. The panels can be attached to one another along variousseams. Other attachment means can be used, such as a hook and loopfastener system, glue, adhesive, self-adhesive, heat-sensitive fastener,tape, putty, gel, magnet, zipper, slide-lock, wire, tie-back, twist tie,wire tie, web tie, cord lock, cable, drawstring, rope, button, snap,hook, hook and eye fastener, buckle, clasp, laces, other suitabletemporary or semi-permanent fastening or retaining method, or anycombination thereof according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Body 102 could include any suitable size, shape, material, construction,or configuration according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Inone embodiment, body 102 and bulk bag 100, in general, could be designedto withstand or otherwise comply with certain weight/loading capacities,pushing/pulling requirements, lifting requirements, sift tolerances,contamination standards, moisture-resistant properties, temperaturepressure tolerances, requirements, humidity stability requirements,tolerances, structural integrity, conductivity levels, groundingrequirements, static control specifications, sealing specifications,insulation requirements, minimum or maximum air exposure requirements,hygroscopic specifications, strength-loss specifications, torquespecifications, safety/hazard requirements, occupational safety andhealth administration (OSHA) rules and regulations, other suitabletolerances, specifications, requirements, standards, rules, orregulations associated with bulk bag 100 or any materials stored in ortransported by bulk bag 100, or any combination thereof.

Each lift sleeve 106 has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve endattached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form aloop, and a portion of the loop extending from the second sleeve end isattached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loopmaintains a substantially open position. In this embodiment, fourhandles 108 are attached to the sidewalls 104 or the top wall of thebody 102. Each handle 108 can be located proximate to a corner of thebody 102. Fewer than four handles 108 can be used. Moreover, the handles108 do not have to be located proximate tot the corners. The handles 108can be lifting loops, fabric lifting loops, tumble straps, loop hooks,buckle straps, positioning cones, stevedore straps, webbing lift loops,or other suitable design. A spout 110 is attached to the top wall toselectively access contents within the body 102 or load contents intothe body 102. The spout 110 can also be attached to the sidewalls 104 orthe bottom wall. The spout 110 can be a covered opening, a flap, asling, a discharge/fill spout, a cone bottom/top, a full openingdump/duffle top, a drawstring cover, a protective cover, a fastener, ahandle or other suitable design. The lift sleeves 106, handles 108 andspout 110 can be attached to body 102 along various seams. Otherattachment means can be used as described above.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-E, various configurations of the lift sleeves106 are show in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention. As previously described each lift sleeve 106 has a firstsleeve end 202 and a second sleeve end 204 attached together andproximate to a bottom of the sidewall 104 to form a loop 206, and aportion 208 of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end 204 isattached to an adjacent portion 210 of the sidewall 104 such that theloop maintains a substantially open position. FIG. 2B shows an examplein which the first sleeve end 202 is part of the bottom wall 212. FIG.2C shows an example in which the second sleeve end 204 is part of thesidewall 104. FIG. 2D shows an example in which the first sleeve end 202is part of the bottom wall 212 and the second sleeve end 204 is part ofthe sidewall 104. FIG. 2E shows an example in which the first sleeve end202 and the second sleeve end 204 extend between an attachment of thesidewall 104 to the bottom wall 212. FIG. 2B shown an example in whichthe sidewall 104 extends between the attachment of the first sleeve end202 and the second sleeve end 204. FIG. 2C shows an example in which thebottom wall 212 extends between the attachment of the first sleeve end202 and the second sleeve end 204. Other configurations can be used andare considered within the scope of the present invention (e.g., U.S.Pat. No. 5,695,286 which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety).

Lift sleeves 106 could be a part of or a removable part of body 102 andbe used to removably couple with blades to push, pull, lift, transport,position, and/or stack bulk bag 100 and the contents therein without apallet according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In oneembodiment, lift sleeves 106 could include an elongated cylinder-likeshaped structure that securely attaches to the sides or bottom end ofbulk bag 100. In one embodiment, lift sleeves 106 could be included oneach sidewall 104 of bulk bag 100 to provide access to bulk bag 100regardless of the orientation of bulk bag 100. In addition, by providinglift sleeves 106 on each bottom edge of bulk bag 100, different lengthsof lift sleeves 106 could be used to accommodate and appropriately gripor couple with a particular size of blades according to one embodimentof the present invention. It should be understood that lift sleeves 106could be appropriately sized to grip or couple with any suitably sizedblades or custom designed to grip or couple with a particular size,brand, model, configuration, or type of blades as desired. In oneembodiment, lift sleeves 106 could include a length generally equal tothe length of bottom edge of bulk bag 100, such as shown in FIG. 1.Thus, bulk bag 100 having sides of unequal length could includeunequally sized lift sleeves 106. In one embodiment, the sidewall 104 ofbulk bag 100 could include multiple lift sleeves 106 disposed at variousintervals along the length of the sidewall 104. Bulk bag 100 couldinclude lift sleeves 106 disposed just at the corners of each sidewall104 of bulk bag 100 or include lift sleeves 106 in a generally centralposition along the length of the sidewall 104 of bulk bag 100 accordingto embodiments of the present disclosure.

Although a particular structure of lift sleeves 106 is generallyillustrated in FIGS. 1-3, it should be understood that lift sleeves 106could include any suitable structure, design, configuration, size, orshape to aid in lifting, transporting, positioning, and/or stacking bulkbag 100 and the contents therein without the use of a pallet, accordingto embodiments of the present disclosure. As an example, lift sleeves106 could be suitably sized and configured to grip or couple with bladesthat are generally parallel to each other or generally disposed at acuteor obtuse angles relative to each other. In one embodiment, the size orshape of lift sleeves 106 could generally be changed or altered toaccommodate coupling with different sized or shaped blades. In oneembodiment, lift sleeves 106 could be lined or otherwise reinforced witha lining, support structure, or other mechanism. For example, liftsleeves 106 could include a lining or protective coating on one or moresurfaces of lift sleeves 106 to provide additional strength or supportwhen lift sleeves 106 grip or couple with blades. In other embodimentsof the present disclosure, lift sleeves 106 could include a supportplate or rigid strips of material made of metal, plastic, extrudedplastic, or other suitable material sewn into or otherwise included onone or more surfaces of lift sleeves 106.

Now referring to FIG. 3, a sectional top view of the bulk bag 100 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The bulk bag100 may also include one or more baffles 300 disposed within the body102 to maintain a shape of the body 102. Each baffle 300 may include oneor more openings 302 to allow contents of the bag 100 to move on eitherside of the baffle (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,633 which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety). The baffles 300 can beattached to the body 102 along various seams. Other attachment means canbe used as described above.

In one embodiment, the bulk bags and the contents therein could be, forexample, stacked on top of one another, transported, or handled asdesired without the use of a pallet by coupling at least one flange-likestructure disposed on one or more bottom edges of the bulk bag with oneor more pulling, pushing, gripping, and/or coupling blades of aforklift-like device (e.g., International Publication Number 2012/016077A1 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). The bulkbag could include three relatively flat two-dimensional pieces (e.g., abody piece, lid piece, and bottom surface piece) that are easilyassembled to form a bulk bag having a lid and a bottom surface. As anexample, the structure of the bulk bag could be secured or otherwiseretained in place by simply folding certain portions of the lid andbottom surface pieces and joining these portions using a fasteningsystem.

Note that the handles 108, spout 110, baffles 300 and top wall areoptional and are not required in other embodiments of the presentinvention. As a result, the bulk bag 100 may include a body 102 havingsidewalls 104, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves 106adapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contentsthereof. The sidewalls 104, the bottom wall and top wall can be formedfrom one or more panels. The panels can be attached to one another alongvarious seams. Other attachment means can be used. Each lift sleeve 106has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together andproximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion ofthe loop extending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacentportion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantiallyopen position. The lift sleeves 106 can be attached to body 102 alongvarious seams. Other attachment means can be used as described above.

Bulk bag 100 could include different configurations for differentapplications, ease of use, and maximum fill/discharge efficiencyaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, bulkbag 100 could be used as a platform to stack a second bulk bag on top ofa first bulk bag 100. Bulk bag 100 could include a flat surface,stackable surface, liner, seal, opening, flap, sling, discharge/fillspout, cone bottom/top, full opening dump/duffle top, sling bottom,protective cover, fasteners, handles, identification information, coloraccessories and information, or coding, other any combination suitablethereof according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

When in use, bulk bag 100 and the contents therein could be, forexample, stacked on top of one another, transported, or handled asdesired according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In oneembodiment, when not in use, bulk bag 100 could be folded or otherwisestored, recycled, or reused as desired. Bulk bag 100 could also beeasily disassembled into relatively flat two-dimensional pieces andstored, recycled, or reused as desired according to one embodiment ofthe present disclosure. Although a particular structure of bulk bag 100has been generally illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, it should be understoodthat bulk bag 100 could include any suitable structure, design,configuration, size, or shape.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow chart for a method 400 of manufacturinga bulk bag in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention isshown. A body having sidewalls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair ofopposed lift sleeves adapted to receive lifting members for lifting thebag and contents thereof is formed in block 402. Each lift sleeve has afirst sleeve end and a second sleeve end attached together and proximateto a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and a portion of the sleeveextending from the second sleeve end is attached to an adjacent portionof the sidewall such that the loop maintains a substantially openposition. One or more handles are attached to the sidewalls or the topwall, each handle located proximate to a corner of the body in block404. A spout is attached to one or more of the sidewalls, the top wallor the bottom wall in block 406 to selectively access contents withinthe body or load contents into the body.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various alterations, changes, modifications and substitutions canbe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims. Moreover, the scope ofthe present application is not intended to be limited to the particularembodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter,means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one ofordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure,processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means,methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed thatperform substantially the same function or achieve substantially thesame result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may beutilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appendedclaims are intended to include within their scope such processes,machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bulk bag comprising: a body having sidewalls, abottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted to receivelifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof; and whereineach lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end attachedtogether and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form a loop, and aportion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve end is attachedto an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loop maintains asubstantially open position.
 2. The bulk bag as recited in claim 1,wherein the first sleeve end is part of the bottom wall.
 3. The bulk bagas recited in claim 1, wherein the second sleeve end is part of thesidewall.
 4. The bulk bag as recited in claim 1, wherein the firstsleeve end or the second sleeve end extends between an attachment of thesidewall to the bottom wall.
 5. The bulk bag as recited in claim 1,wherein the sidewall or the bottom wall extends between the attachmentof the first sleeve end and the second sleeve end.
 6. The bulk bag asrecited in claim 1, further comprising one or more baffles disposedwithin the body to maintain a shape of the body.
 7. The bulk bag asrecited in claim 6, further comprising one or more openings in the oneor more baffles to allow contents of the bag to move on either side ofthe one or more baffles.
 8. The bulk bag as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising four baffles within the body, each baffle attached to atleast one sidewall and bridging a corner of the body.
 9. The bulk bag asrecited in claim 1, further comprising one or more handles attached to atop of the body.
 10. The bulk bag as recited in claim 9, wherein the oneor more handles are selected from the group comprising lifting loops,fabric lifting loops, tumble straps, loop hooks, buckle straps,positioning cones, stevedore straps, and webbing lift loops.
 11. Thebulk bag as recited in claim 1, further comprising four handles attachedto a top of the body, each handle located proximate to a corner of thebody.
 12. The bulk bag as recited in claim 1, further comprising a topwall attached proximate to a top of the sidewalls.
 13. The bulk bag asrecited in claim 12, further comprising a spout attached to the top wallto selectively access contents within the body or load contents into thebody.
 14. The bulk bag as recited in claim 1, further comprising a spoutattached to the sidewalls or the bottom wall to selectively accesscontents within the body or load contents into the body.
 15. The bulkbag as recited in claim 14, wherein the spout is selected from the groupcomprising an opening, a covered opening, a flap, a sling, adischarge/fill spout, a cone bottom/top, a full opening dump/duffle top,a drawstring cover, a protective cover, a fastener, and a handle. 16.The bulk bag as recited in claim 1, wherein the sidewalls and the bottomwall are formed from one or more panels.
 17. The bulk bag as recited inclaim 1, wherein the body is made of one or more woven or porousmaterials selected from the group comprising polypropylene, microporedmaterial, static controlled material, conductive material, metalizedmaterial, liner material, film material, foil material, coated material,tubular material, webbed material, baffle fabric, coated baffle fabric,nonflammable material, water-proof material, corrugated material, nylon,rope, jute, hemp, sisal, leather, fibers, rope-like material, twine,cloth, canvas, polyurethane, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC),bungee cord material, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyester,high-gloss polyester, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, plastic,polymer, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, other suitable materials, orany combination thereof.
 18. A bulk bag comprising: a body havingsidewalls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleevesadapted to receive lifting members for lifting the bag and contentsthereof; one or more handles attached to a top of the body; a spoutattached to the sidewalls, the top wall or the bottom wall toselectively access contents within the body or load contents into thebody; and wherein each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a secondsleeve end attached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewallto form a loop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the secondsleeve end is attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such thatthe loop maintains a substantially open position.
 19. The bulk bag asrecited in claim 18, wherein the first sleeve end is part of the bottomwall.
 20. The bulk bag as recited in claim 18, wherein the second sleeveend is part of the sidewall.
 21. The bulk bag as recited in claim 18,wherein the first sleeve end or the second sleeve end extends between anattachment of the sidewall to the bottom wall.
 22. The bulk bag asrecited in claim 18, wherein the sidewall or the bottom wall extendsbetween the attachment of the first sleeve end and the second sleeveend.
 23. The bulk bag as recited in claim 18, further comprising one ormore baffles disposed within the body to maintain a shape of the body.24. The bulk bag as recited in claim 23, further comprising one or moreopenings in the one or more baffles to allow contents of the bag to moveon either side of the one or more baffles.
 25. The bulk bag as recitedin claim 18, further comprising four baffles within the body, eachbaffle attached to at least one sidewall and bridging a corner of thebody.
 26. The bulk bag as recited in claim 18, wherein the one or morehandles are selected from the group comprising lifting loops, fabriclifting loops, tumble straps, loop hooks, buckle straps, positioningcones, stevedore straps, and webbing lift loops.
 27. The bulk bag asrecited in claim 18, wherein the spout is selected from the groupcomprising an opening, a covered opening, a flap, a sling, adischarge/fill spout, a cone bottom/top, a full opening dump/duffle top,a drawstring cover, a protective cover, a fastener, and a handle. 28.The bulk bag as recited in claim 18, wherein the sidewalls and thebottom wall are formed from one or more panels.
 29. The bulk bag asrecited in claim 18, wherein the body is made of one or more woven orporous materials selected from the group comprising polypropylene,micropored material, static controlled material, conductive material,metalized material, liner material, film material, foil material, coatedmaterial, tubular material, webbed material, baffle fabric, coatedbaffle fabric, nonflammable material, water-proof material, corrugatedmaterial, nylon, rope, jute, hemp, sisal, leather, fibers, rope-likematerial, twine, cloth, canvas, polyurethane, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC), bungee cord material, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE),polyester, high-gloss polyester, synthetic rubber, natural rubber,plastic, polymer, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, other suitablematerials, or any combination thereof.
 30. A method of manufacturing abulk bag comprising the steps of: forming a body having sidewalls, a topwall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted toreceive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof; andwherein each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve endattached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form aloop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve endis attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loopmaintains a substantially open position.
 31. A method of manufacturing abulk bag comprising the steps of: forming a body having sidewalls, a topwall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed lift sleeves adapted toreceive lifting members for lifting the bag and contents thereof;wherein each lift sleeve has a first sleeve end and a second sleeve endattached together and proximate to a bottom of the sidewall to form aloop, and a portion of the sleeve extending from the second sleeve endis attached to an adjacent portion of the sidewall such that the loopmaintains a substantially open position; attaching one or more handlesto the sidewalls or the top wall, each handle located proximate to acorner of the body; and attaching a spout to one or more of thesidewalls, the top wall or the bottom wall to selectively accesscontents within the body or load contents into the body.